Winter Colour in Buffalo Lawns

Buffalo Winter Colour

All Buffalo lawns have a tendency to lose a lot of their colour over the Winter months. It doesn't matter what the Buffalo grass type or brand is, there is no Soft Leaf Buffalo which can maintain it's normal colour over Winter.

So what causes Buffalo grass to lose it's colour in Winter?

And better yet, how can we maintain a dark green Buffalo lawn over Winter?

From the same Buffalo Grass Research studies which we reference on this site, we can say that some buffalo grass types can lose their colour and turn brown more than other buffalo types can. So there are winners and losers amongst the different buffalo types.

The standout colour loser of Buffalo types in these trials was Shademaster, which when grown in cooler weather not only lost massive colour but even turned purple over winter!

When Nothing Can Be Done To Help Buffalo Winter Colour

For the homeowner, most buffalo grasses can look exactly the same and cannot be differentiated between each other. This does not mean that all buffalo grasses behave the same - they most certainly do not, and we've seen this proven in the independent buffalo studies.

The point we're making here is that most people who brought a home with buffalo grass already installed aren't going to know which brand of buffalo they have growing, and because of this - some homeowners can struggle for years trying to get a greener buffalo lawn in winter, but can never win the battle! Just because of the nature of the buffalo type they are growing which can be inherently prone to go brown over winter…

The other factor affecting buffalo grass losing colour in winter is climate, buffalo grasses really don't like cooler climates and will lose their winter colour more in these regions than when the grass is grown in warmer climates.

So there may be nothing we can do to get our buffalo lawns greener in winter.

All Lawns Lose Colour In Winter

All grass types have a tendency to lose their colour in Winter months, however, with this in mind, we can alter our lawn care to prepare for Winter, and to help our Buffalo lawns to maintain as much colour as possible over the coldest months of the year.

Lawns will go into a state of semi-dormancy in Winter, so there will be almost nothing that can be done over Winter to improve the colour of the grass. Instead, we must look at a year round lawn care regimen which culminates in a very healthy lawn in Autumn, before Winter even arrives.

Important Lawn Care Tips To Maintain Buffalo Winter Colour

The most important aspects of maintaining a healthy green Buffalo Winter colour are as follows:

Fertilise throughout the year with a high quality lawn fertiliser which has Trace Elements.

Use a Winter Fertiliser in Winter.

Apply the winter fertiliser in May and then again in July.

Apply an Iron supplement or Trace Elements supplement at least once per year,
(these are available very cheaply in gardening shops)

Mow regularly throughout the year, mow monthly in Winter

Raise mowing heights before and during Winter

Ensure the Buffalo lawn is in the best health possible in Autumn (prior to Winter arriving).